Improvement in rail-fences



B. A. WELDS. Rail-Fence.

No, 220,892. Patented Oct. 21, I879.

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NPETERS PHDTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINdTON. fi C.

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UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN A. WELDS, OF JACKQN, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF OF HIS RIGHT TO SAMUEL WATSON, OF LEWISVILLE, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAIL-FENCES.

7/ Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 2203 92: dated October 21, 1879; application filed July 10, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN A. WELDs, of Jackson, in the county of Jackson andState of Michigan, have invented an Improvement in Fences, of which the following is aspecification.

The nature of this invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in the construction of railt'ences and the invention consists in the peculiar construction of the various parts whereby the corners are bound together, all as more fully hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specification and shows my invention in perspective, A A represent two sections of a'rail-fence built up in the ordinary To bind the corners securely together I pass a wire loop, B, around the end of the lower rail, as at a, said loop being in length aboutequa-l to the height of the fence. I then insert one end of a locking-lever, O, in the upper end of theloop B, and draw down upon said lever'until the ends of the rails are firmly pressed together, the lever being secured by binding it to one of the rails, as shown at b. This being done at each of the intersecting corners, a solidand compact fence is constructed which will resist breachy stock and heavy winds. I

Should "the fence settle to such an extent that the lock was not. effective, it can readily and easily be rebound byreleasing the lever and shortening the loop by weaving the wire B around one or more of the rails, after which it may be secured as before.

The wire can also be tightened Without disturbing the loop by bending the locking-lever farther down and securing it to a lower rail.

This manner of constructing a worm fence is very cheap, a simple stick serving as a locking-lever.

When it is desired to take down any section the corner lock can be readily removed and again applied without special instruments and the lock can also be easily and quickly tightened without disturbing any of the rails of the fence. n

I am aware that worm fences have been locked at the corners by wire loops passed around the ends of the rails and wedges driven between the rails 5 and I am also aware that such wire loops have been tightened to clamp the rails together by twisting their upper ends with the top rails of the fence.

The objection to the first construction is that it is difiicult to take down and put up a section'of the fence without special instruments,

.and the wedges have to be out, making an additional expense; and to the second construction, that the wire loop cannot be tightened except by taking the fence partly down. My construction overcomes these objections.

What I claim as my invention is- The worm rail-fence having the intersecting ends of the rails at each corner bound together by a wire loop, B, and a locking-lever, G, which is inserted in the upper end of such loop, bent downwardly, and secured to one of the rails of the fence, substantially as described and shown.

BENJAMIN A. WELDS.

Witnesses WM. BIGLER, A. D. LAWTON. 

